“Yes,” Rachel said.
“For good?”
“That depends on what happens next.”
Emma hugged her mother tightly.
“I just want to go home with you.”
“We will,” Natalie whispered weakly.
That night Emma refused to leave her mother’s side.
She sat beside the hospital bed holding Natalie’s hand, afraid that if she let go her mother might disappear again.
Rachel watched quietly from the doorway.
She had handled many abuse cases before.
But something about this one felt different.
The way Emma clung to her mother.
The way Natalie stroked her daughter’s hair despite barely having strength.
They couldn’t be separated again.
But the fight wasn’t over.
Marcus’s lawyer was already trying to get him released.
If Natalie couldn’t testify soon, the case might fall apart.
Rachel needed proof.
Natalie’s phone contained threatening messages from Marcus.
“If you try to leave again, you’ll regret it.”
“You can’t escape me.”
“Emma belongs to me.”
The evidence strengthened the case.
But before anyone could relax, Natalie suddenly went into critical distress and was rushed into surgery.
Emma cried in Rachel’s arms.
“You said everything would be okay!”
Rachel hugged her tightly.
“She’s going to make it.”